Senate Panel to Consider Missouri Budget Plan

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon delivers the State of the State speech to the legislature in the House of Represenatives chambers at the Statre Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri on January 19, 2011. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Photo: UPI/Bill Greenblatt

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri senators will be taking their turn this week at putting together the state’s next budget.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is to begin hearings Monday on a roughly $26 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts in July.

As passed last month by the House, the budget includes a two-tiered funding plan for public school districts and higher education institutions.

Schools, for example, would get a minimum increase of $122 million over their current $3 billion of basic aid. But if revenues come in stronger than lawmakers expect, schools could get the full $278 million increase originally sought by Gov. Jay Nixon.

Senators typically change the House budget plan. Negotiators from the two chambers then work out their differences to produce a final budget by early May.